Uber announced a multi-million dollar partnership with U.S. electric car maker Lucid and Robotics Company Nuro. The three companies plan to deploy at least 20,000 robots “in dozens of markets around the world” over the next six years, starting in major U.S. cities in 2026.
The ride-sharing app announced the news on Thursday, saying Lucid vehicles will be owned and operated by Uber or its third-party fleet partners. According to the company’s press release, the vehicles will be equipped with technology developed by Nuro, which can be provided “exclusively” through the Uber platform.
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According to the Financial Times, Uber is investing $300 million in Lucid as part of the deal, and an undisclosed but “important” amount in Nuro.
Uber said the cooperation between the three companies will “[deliver] The fully integrated robotic experience is developed for comfort, safety and scale. ”
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“There is a huge potential for self-driving cars to make our cities better,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Khosrowshahi said the partnership will “safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people in the world.”
Nuro will use simulations, supervised road tests and closed circuit tests to lead the safety efforts behind building vehicles.
The move has led Uber to print out in the world of self-driving cars, which could have a significant impact on the thousands of gig workers riding through Uber. Just yesterday, the company announced an agreement with Baidu, a company that operates one of China’s largest Robotaxi fleets. The two are collaborating to deploy robots in Asia and the Middle East, and potentially expand to Europe.
Tesla has also been testing its own Robotaxi service, most recently in Austin, Texas.
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